Stolen Time
by shadowcaster01
Summary: It was a week after the Battle of Hogwarts and now everyone who had been lost would finally be laid to rest. George is there for Fred, but he wonders how he can cope without him.


_Hey everyone,_

_Here's another fic in response to a few challenges/competitions on HPFC, the details are below…_

* * *

…**..**

It was a dreary day; the rain fell gently from darkened clouds, washing away remnants of the battle that occurred a week before. George felt that the weather was quite appropriate, he felt rather dreary himself. In the past week there had been so much going on, after all of the political and social upheaval, that those who had fallen that day had to wait for a while before they had a chance to be properly buried.

There were a ton of people gathered around the school grounds that afternoon, much more than George had anticipated. In a way, it was heartwarming to know that so many people cared enough to want to pay their respects to those who had died. He straightened his navy blue dress robes absently, frowning at the large crowd. Although they all had good intentions, George didn't entirely appreciate it.

He wasn't used to having to share his brother with others, as they were usually so close while they were growing up. He knew he was being selfish, but George didn't care. This was his twin they were talking about, the other half of himself that he'd never see again. No more jokes about whose name was whose, or pulling pranks on siblings or friends. No more deep discussions about things that he'd never share with anyone else…

Fred's coffin lay in front of him, a dull, boring black. The color made George anxious, for some reason. He knew that Fred would have preferred something more cheerful, and that his brother would have hated all of the serious expressions on everyone's faces. But George just couldn't bring himself to smile. He felt like everything good in his life had just slipped away from him.

He sighed, glancing around. His parents stood off to the side; mum was inconsolable, she had steadily made her way through five handkerchiefs, and would more than likely mess up at least a dozen more before the funeral had finished. Dad appeared grim, which worried George slightly, although he had no idea what to do in this situation. Out of habit George turned to his right, looking for his brother to ask him what he thought of everything. What he saw was thin air, and after a few moments of silence, he scowled and stared at the grass.

How was he going to go through each day without him? While growing up, he and Fred had been practically joined at the hip; they were inseparable. Mum even had trouble remembering who was who, that is, until George lost his ear in that wand skirmish last year. He chuckled bitterly to himself as he recalled Fred's reaction to his joke that day. He'd worried him out of his mind, and he had the gall to come up with something as terrible as that? It wasn't the best, but considering his material, George still thought it wasn't too bad.

The shop was going to be difficult. They usually went through things together, and tested each new product on each other before considering it worthy to sell to the general public. Who was he going to rely on now to bounce all of his ideas off of? It was going to be way too quiet when George opened it up later on. Maybe he should give it a rest for a while, at least until he had a chance to clear his head.

George started when he felt a hand land on his shoulder. Charlie stood next to him, an unreadable look on his face. He didn't appreciate the expression; was he pitying him now? George stared at his brother for a second, nodded, and then made his way over to the coffin.

For a moment, all he could do was glare at it. How dare he leave him like this! Why did he go? What was he going to do now? There were so many questions, and most of them were ones that George knew he'd never get any answer for. Part of him hated Fred because of it while the other was mostly confused. Why would he ever think of Fred in that way? He was his best friend, his brother, his twin. There would always be a place in his heart that could never be filled by anyone else, and he would have to learn to deal with that gaping hole for the rest of his life. At least until he finally got the chance to be reunited with him again…

* * *

…**.**

_This was in response to:_

_Montley's Title Swap Competition – Stolen time, George Weasley_

_Empress Empoleon's Colors Competition – Blue_

_Cookies-and-Ink's Not For the Faint of Heart Competition – Operation Angst_

_GlitterNGold's Wand Wood Competition – Dogwood_

_Black Boxed's HP Potions Competition – Deflating Draught_

_dimitrisgirl18's Diagon Alley Fic Crawl Challenge – Flourish and Blotts_

_Hope you liked reading it, and until next time, peace out!_

_Shadowcaster01_


End file.
